1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data backup device and a data backup system enabling backup of data such as user's registered information in an image forming apparatus via a network, and a data backup program stored on a computer readable medium to make a computer execute data backup and subsequent processes.
2. Description of the Related Art
The following description sets forth the inventor's knowledge of related art and problems therein and should not be construed as an admission of knowledge in the prior art.
As an example of the traditional and general uses of an image forming apparatus such as a multifunctional machine having copying, printing, facsimile and other functions, multiple personal computers were connected to one image forming apparatus and print data transmitted from a personal computer is printed in the image forming apparatus. However, connection via a network between multiple image forming apparatuses, or an image forming apparatus and other devices including personal computers, becomes more popular recently along with the increase in the number of such apparatuses and devices. Thus, free communication of data, image data for example, among different image forming apparatuses, or an image forming apparatus and personal computers, is proposed.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8-244317 discloses a method to prevent, in such a network-connected image forming apparatus, the destruction of various settings set on the image forming apparatus by electrical trouble, malfunction, operator's mistake, etc.
According to the method, when a service person intends to update the firmware of an image forming apparatus, or clear the memory storing image data, settings, etc. for system reset for example, the registered data including mail address, digits, network address and so on inputted by users are transferred and stored in another image forming apparatus connected via a network before the service just in case, so that the data can be retrieved therefrom after the service as needed.
Since the apparatus needs to be restarted after the firmware update or the memory clear, the registered data are stored together with transfer destination information in area where is able to keep the data even when the power is off. Thus, even if just a part of the registered data got removed accidentally, the transfer destination information could be removed at the same time.
The firmware consists of a program area and a registered data area, and if there is a change of program volume in the program area by block, or a change of the data format and the total number of registered data in the registered data area, limited capacity of the memory in the image forming apparatus may disable regular data conversion by the software for firmware update. In this case, the registered data and transfer destination information stored in the image forming apparatus are rewritten with the default settings of the software, and consequently missing.
In the above possible cases where the transfer destination information of the registered data is missing from the image forming apparatus, it is not possible to retrieve the registered data backuped in the data backup device.
The description herein of advantages and disadvantages of various features, embodiments, methods, and apparatus disclosed in other publications is in no way intended to limit the present invention. Indeed, certain features of the invention may be capable of overcoming certain disadvantages, while still retaining some or all of the features, embodiments, methods, and apparatus disclosed therein.